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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mine · bass · wind · court · rest · current · rash · bound

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. court — of a king
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — the fish
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mine — for digging
  9. rash — a series
  10. court — of law
  11. bound — certain
  12. current — happening now
  13. rest — a break
  14. bound — tied together
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wind — moving air
  18. court — for sport
  19. current — electric
  20. bound — obliged
  21. current — of water
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bass — low music
  24. mine — an explosive

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com